Best Beers for Spring

The Best Beers for Spring

A good spring beer, like the season itself, is all about transition—finding that middle ground between dark and light, warming and cooling. Indeed, come Opening Day those heavy, warming winter beers are just too, well, heavy and warming. Yet the grass still hasn’t grown long enough to settle into a steady diet of refreshing lawnmower beers. The ten beers that follow here command that middle ground. They’ll quench your thirst on a sunny day, yet they still pack in enough flavor to kick any remaining chill in the air.

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Founders All Day IPA

ABV: 4.7%

April’s baseball game tailgates and daylong fishing jaunts often require you to crack your first beer sometime just after 12 p.m. In cases like these, the IPA drinker—whose beer of choice typically sits around 6.5 percent—can find himself over-served by 3. That’s what’s great about the All Day IPA. It packs in all the flavor of a big IPA, but at a manageable alcohol percentage. (It’s still more potent than Bud Light though, so don’t let yourself go too wild.)

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Sam Adams Noble Pils

ABV: 4.9%

The crispness of Pilsners really jives with the brisk-but-sunny spring weather—and this pilsner is arguably the best beer in the entire Sam Adams lineup. Even better: You can find it everywhere.

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Narragansett Bock

ABV: 6.5%

Bocks were originally brewed by Germans to celebrate spring, and this one is particularly stellar: It’s drier, hoppier, and slightly more refreshing than most. And because it comes in tallboys (tallboys!) it’s ready for any camping or river trip.

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Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 8.0%

This saison greets you with the scent of flowers and citrus, kind of like spring itself. It goes down light with notes of fruit and basil, and finishes dry and peppery. An extremely complex, refreshing beer, we think it’s a killer stand-in for white wine at a barbeque.

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Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

ABV: 7.0%

Sculpin ranks among the best IPAs in the world, and we think it’s especially well suited for spring. It’s a bit lighter, dryer, and fruitier than its top-tier competitors. Trust us; you’ll appreciate the difference.

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Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

ABV: 6.7%

As the days grow lighter and warmer, porters and stouts start to feel increasingly out of season. But there are times when we still want a little more maltiness to our beer. That’s why we like this brown for spring. Its complex maltiness is offset by a fruity, buttery hop blast.

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Coast Brewing 32°/50°

ABV: 4.8%

Leave it up to the laid back, beach combing South Carolinians to create a beer that’s perfect for a sunny spring day. This brew is crisp and bubbly, like nice champagne, and shot through with flowery notes of honey.

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Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold

ABV: 5.8%

A sharp lager on a warm day is as quintessential as a bubbly champagne on New Year’s Eve. Our favorite lager, recently, has been this offering from Great Lakes. It perfectly balances malty sweetness with herbal hoppiness, and has just enough booze to keep you warm if it’s chilly out.

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Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

ABV: 8.0%

Rye beers are a great option for spring—the spicyness of the rye cuts right through the malt like a lawnmower taking down the first tufts of spring grass. This Rye IPA, in particular, is one of the best—and one of the originals of the genre. But be careful, 8 percent alcohol can sneak up on you.

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